Boot or shoe



(Model) W1 TNESSIZSH B. F. WHITNEY. Boot and 8110s.,

Patented March 15, 188i;

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFioE.

BENJAMIN'F. WHITNEY, OF PORTLAND, MAIN E.

BOOT OR SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,005, dated March 151881. Application filed September 29, 1880. (ModeL) To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. WHITNEY, of Portland, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Boots; and I do hereby declare that the following isafull, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, that will enableothers'skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification. It is the purpose of my invention to provide aboot or shoe, which, uniting the advantages of the congress and buttonboot, shall present none of the inconveniences or defects which arepeculiar to these forms of boots.

The button shoe or boot is objectionable, as is well known, inconsequence of the inconvenience experienced in buttonin g and thefrequent parting of the buttons from the boot, while in the ordinarycongress boot the elastic 'gores, which when the boot is new bind theankle and prevent ventilation, soon become loose and unsightly fromfrequent stretching in putting on and removing the boot.

Figure l is a side elevation of a boot or shoe having present invention,the flap buttoned as when in use. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of samedevice, the flap being unbuttoned.

Heretofore in devices of this kind-that is, boots or shoesstrings havebeen used to tie the edges or flaps, or the flap has been buttoned down,or elastic gorings have been put into the ankle part of the shoe on eachside, or such a goring has been put into one side, while a flap has beenbrought over the instep and fastened at the side; or, where the openingof the shoe comes in front, a piece of elastic has been put up and downon each side, and the button-flap has been attached to the forward partby a narrow elastic connection or hinge. In such and like ways haveattempts been made, more or less successfully, to provide means forsecurely and easily fastening the boot or shoe upon the foot, and torender its removal, when desired, comparatively easy; but not any ofthem have presented a means that can be regarded anywhere near a perfectdesideratum. The strings afford too tedious a method of fastening, toooften they untie easily, and they wear out too quickly. The buttons,while giving a stylish finish, are hard to operate, and are constantlycoming off. The elastic goring at first binds and pinches the ankle. andafter a while hecomes too loose, and then frays. The onesided goring andflap over the instep fail to equalize the strain, and makes a bind overthe instep in a close-fitting shoe, and can only be easily worn in ashoe larger than the Wearers proper size. The above elastics, whethertwo or one, in a nice fit fail to afford proper ventilation to the foot,while the button-flap, hinged to the front by a narrow elastic, issecured thereto so fragilely as to be in constant need of repair, at thesame time the elastic is so scant as not to be of any considerable valueas an elastic.

My aim in the present invention has been to overcome all the objectionsabove stated, and 1 present in it a device that can be easily andcheaply made, handled without any trouble, and will be durable andalways keep its shape; and the novelty consists in a boot or shoeprovided with elastic gorings at each side, one fixed to the top and theother to a flap, which can be buttoned near the back to and upon thetop, all as will now be more fully set out and explained.

In the accompanying drawings, A denotes any ordinary boot or shoe top,and a a flap, consisting of an elastic part, f, and a leather part oredge, f. In this edge part are buttonholes 6, one or more, adapted to beused on the buttons it near the rear of the boot or shoe. Around theedge of the leather part f, and at the bottom of the elastic f, issecured theleather or cloth binding 1), to re-enforce and strengthen theflap, as well as aid in nnitin g it to the front part of the boot orshoe. This flap is so made and applied that the elastic will come justmidway between the front and rearof the boot or shoe. will thus exactlymatchthe elasticf fixed in the opposite side of the shoe or boot. Ashoeor boot thus made can be very easily put on .or taken 05, the buttonsare placed where there is no strain to cause them to be too easily wornoff, the elastic will not bind the foot too tight, nor will the wear onthem be so great as to cause them to lose their shape and firmness. Theflap, fitting easily at the rear edge, will allow sufficient opportunityfor the escape of moisture or admission of air, and thus afford When theflap is buttoned down it i all proper ventilation to the foot. It isobvious that a buckle can be used, instead of button-holes and buttons,to secure the flaps.

Having thus described my invention, What I consider new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a boot or shoe, a fastening-flap made partially of a wide elasticportion, and provided with a button-holed edge, and a re-cnforced orstrengthening border and connectin g-strip, substantially as set forth.

2. The boot or shoe A, as described, having in the middle of one side ofthe ankle the elastic f, and on the opposite side the flap a, providedwith a button-holed edge, f, and an elastic, f, while its rear and loweredge is strengthened by the strip 1), which also aids in connecting itto the fore part of the shoe, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 2;

have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of September, 1880.

BENJ. F. WHITNEY. Witnesses GEO. E. BIRD, CHARLES H. CLARK.

